Sliding clasp fastening



y 1934- K. R. JORDAN 1,966,963

SLIDING CLASP FASTENING Filed June 1. 1932 Patented July 17, 1934 UNITEDSTATES SLIDING CLASP FASTENING Kurt Robert Jordan, Ludenscheid, GermanyApplication June 1, 1932, Serial No. 614,723 In Germany February 6, 1932Claims, (Cl. 24205) I have filed applications in Germany on the 6thFebruary, 1932 and in Great Britain on the 29th April, 1932.

The present invention relates to sliding clasp i5 fastenings, and moreparticularly to a locking device for securing fastenings of this kind insuch a manner as to avoid the possibility of accidental opening and incertain circumstances also of opening by unauthorized persons.

The locking device according to theinvention consists essentially in alock, preferably of the kind employed in brief cases and the like, whichcan only be opened by means of a key and is fixed to one stringer of thesliding clasp fastening immediately adjacent to the interlocking membersof the fastening, and a locking member which'is fastened to the otherstringer of the fastening in such a manner as to engage, when thesliding clasp fastening is in the closed position, with the lockprovided 'on the other stringer of the fastening. The lock and thelocking member are preferably mounted each on a supporting member fixedto the corresponding stringer of the sliding clasp fastening. The endsof these supporting members which are nearest the interlocking membersof the fastening are constructed in such a manner that the sliderserving for the operation of the fastening can be slidthereon therebydrawing the two supporting members towards one another and guiding thelocking member forcibly into the lock.

Locking devices for sliding clasp fastenings are already known but thedevice according to the present invention provides the advantage overthe known devices that it can be added subsequently to existing slidingclasp fastenings.

The accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example a constructionalform of the device according to the invention, and in particular:

49 Fig. l is a plan of a sliding clasp fastening with the locking devicein the locked position,

Fig. 2 is a plan of the sliding clasp fastening in a half open position,and

Fig. 3 is a section through the locking device.

Referring to the drawing, the reference letters A and B denote the twostringers, of the sliding clasp fastening, which are reinforced on theiradjacent edges and provided with interlocking members. Adjacent to theinterlocking members on each stringer are provided supporting plates aand 0 respectively. These supporting plates are preferably constructedof U-shaped cross section so that they can he slid on to the reinforcededges of the stringers and clamped in position. The supporting platesare tapered at their ends 1 hit nearest the interlocking members of thefastening in such a manner that'the slider e which .serves for theoperation of the sliding clasp fastening can slide thereon. On the onesupporting plate 0 is mounted a lock d, of the kind employed so forbrief cases and the like and which can only be opened by means of a key,whilst the other supporting plate a carries a catch or eyelet b. Thiscatch or eyelet b is arranged on the supporting plate a in such a mannerthat it engages in 5 the lock d when the two plates a and c arebroughttogether. The catch is held fast in the lock d in known manner bymeans of a spring bolt, which can be drawn back so as to release thecatch b when the lock is in the open position, by means 7 of a knob 1'provided on the outside of the lock d. On the other hand the bolt of thelock may also be locked in the position in which it holds the catch b bymeans of a key introduced into a keyhole provided in the lock it, sothat the catch b cannot be released from the lock (1 by unauthorizedpersons. Since locks of this kind are known in the most varied forms, ithas been thought unnecessary to show in detail the interior of the lockd. According to the kind of lock employed, so the lock may be fixedrigidly on its supporting plate 0 or pivoted thereto in the manner shownin Fig. 3.

As already mentioned above, on bringing the interlocking members on'thetwo stringers into engagement with one another by means of the slider e,the two supporting plates a and c automatically approach one anotherwhen the slider e slides on to the ends f of the supporting plates.

In order to ensure that the catch or eyelet b is brought into thecorrect'position with respect to the opening in the lock d with which itengages, one of the supporting plates, for example 0, may

be provided with a lug g projecting towards the other stringer, whichlug is adapted to engage in a suitable opening or recess h in the othersupporting plate, for example a, and thereby bring the two supportingplates 11. and 0 together in the correct position. 1

The locking device described is preferably attached to the sliding claspfastening during the manufacture of the latter. However, the lockingdevicev may be added subsequently to an existing fastening.

I claim:--

1. A sliding clasp fastening comprisingdn combination: a first stringer;a first set of fastening members arranged on said stringer; a lock whichcan only be opened by means of a key and is mounted on said" firststringer; a supporting no member carrying said lock, said supportingmember being formed of rigid material and fixedly secured to the edgesof said stringer beyond the endmost fastening members; a secondstringer; a second set of fastening members arranged on said secondstringer; a locking member mounted on said second stringer and adaptedto engage with said look when the fastening is in the closed position; asecond supporting member carrying said lock, said supporting memberbeing fixedly secured to the edges of said second stringer beyond theendmost fastening members; and a slider.

2. A sliding clasp fastening comprising in combination: a firststringer; a first set of fastening members arranged on said stringer; alock which can only be opened by means of a key and is pivoted on saidfirst stringer; a second stringer; a second set of fastening membersarranged on said second stringer; a locking member mounted on saidsecond stringer and adapted to engagewith said lock when the fasteningis in the closed position; and a slider; said lock and said lockingmember being carried by supports formed of rigid material and fixedlysecured to the edges of said stringers beyond the endmost fasteningmembers.

3. A sliding clasp fastening comprising in combination: a slider; afirst stringer; a first set of fastening members arranged on saidstringer; a lock mounted on said first stringer; a second stringer; asecond set of fastening members arranged on said second stringer; alocking member mounted on said second stringer and adapted to engagewith said lock; and guiding means 10-- cated beyond the endmostfastening members for moving said locking member into engagement withsaid lock, said means being operable by the movement of the slidertowards the closed end of the fastening.

4. A sliding clasp fastening comprising in combination: a firststringer; a slider; a lock mounted on said first stringer; a supportingmember fixed to said first stringer and carrying said lock, saidsupporting member being narrowed at one end for the said slider to slidethereon; a second stringer; a locking member mounted on said secondstringer and adapted to engage the said look when the fastening is inthe closed position; and a second supporting member fixed to said secondstringer and carrying said locking member, said second supporting memberbeing narrowed at one end for the said slider to slide thereon; the saidslider and the said first and second supporting members being so shapedand arranged as to cause the locking member to engage the lock when theslider is slid towards the lock, substantially as described.

5. A sliding clasp fastening comprising in combination: a firststringer; a lock mounted on said first stringer; a supporting memberfixed to said first stringer and carrying said lock; a second stringer;a locking member mounted on said stringer and adapted to engage withsaidlock when the fastening is in the closed position; a second supportingmember fixed to said second stringer and carrying said locking member; alug projecting from one of said supporting members'; and a recessed parton the other of the said supporting members adapted to co-operate withsaid lug to guide the said locking member safely into engagement withthe said lock.

KURT ROBERT JORDAN.

